If you didn't like my posting of NdeM 3028 in the weeds at New Hope and Ivyland, you certainly will not like these of the neglected CNR 1533. This faithful ten-wheeler was the mainstay locomotive at NH&I about 50 years ago. For reasons which are not really understood, she was pulled from service, stripped and left as a plant pot. Other railroads have expressed interest in purchasing her, but NH&I has refused sale.
This post is not to bash NH&I, but geez guys! She's not getting stronger as she stands and she's a perfect size shortline locomotive and deserves better.

Richard -

Really appreciate your posting these photos of CNR 1533 and also of NdeM 3028.


Les

New Hope seems to be a "steam for special occasions only" type operation now, based on their operation of #40 only on holiday, fall foliage, and Christmas trains. Based on it's infrequent use # 40 seems like it should be more than enough for their needs. It's really not clear why they continue to hold on to 1533, with nothing being done to it mechanically or cosmetically. I understand that SMS made them an offer for 1533 as well as # 9, but were rebuffed.

John

I believe John’s statement is correct. So far, they are not willing to part with 1533. Its potential as a candidate for restoration is hampered by a long list of missing parts, unfortunately. It would be a huge investment and a labor of love to bring her back to operation. She does have a small but rather devoted fan base though. And really, #9 wasn’t In much better shape when it went to SMS. I hope management will consider relinquishing her, perhaps to SMS, where some of her fans are actively restoring 9 and may be willing to take on another extreme restoration project. But I have heard nothing that would give me any reason for optimism.
It was a lovely engine, perfect size, elegant lines. So sad to see it deteriorate year after year.

I was told ages ago by someone who supposedly was in a good position to know (and I trust him in that regard) that the problem with 1533 came down to a badly botched repair to the firebox or boiler many years ago, something needing larger-scale replacement on the order of what we have seen with PRR 1361.

My suspicion is that such a repair would normally be far beyond the logistical resources of the NH&I, but it's not like the Strasburg or other shops (notably McHugh) are that far away if the railroad chose to pursue returning 1533 to operation. And I must concede that as blasé as I have become about most steam locomotives by now, 1533 is a loco I would take some pains to seek out and ride behind, especially if it ended up on a line where it could "stretch its legs" more.

I think the reality of the situation there has more to do with the cynical, snide commentary around Bucks County that the NH&I had long ago become "a parking lot company that happens to also run a railroad"......... as anyone who has been there during high tourist season could attest.

Are those trees growing up out of 1533's running boards? It looks like it but it's a little hard to tell.

Understanding that they have come a long way since, but it would be kind of ironic if Mchugh was chosen to make any major repairs to 1533, since from everything I have read, it was a botched "repair" attempt by someone from that organization that caused the alleged damage in the first place.

John

Thanks for posting these photos. "Journey Into History Ride The Train" ?!?!?! That's twisted.

I am personally familiar with the locomotive, and in my opinion the holes cut in the boiler are among the least of its problems. They would of course require patching, but compared to the missing spring rigging pieces and numerous other parts, not terribly concerning.
For the record, the holes are not botched repairs. Rather, the Huron bushings or seats were torch cut from the out of service 1533 and welded into #40s boiler as a fix, I assume, for her perpetually leaking tapered plugs. This didn’t work out well for either engine. 40s barrel has several riveted patches were the the welded Huron bushings were removed. The same could be done for the damaged boiler on 1533. I don’t mean to minimize the seriousness of the damage. It will require some engineering and skill to repair. The scope of reproducing a lot of new parts for the suspension and brake rigging and who knows what else is daunting. I’m not even sure the pedastool binders are still around somewhere, let alone on the frames were they should be.

Mark

Thanks for setting the record straight, Mark.

John

It looks like the NH&I is suffering from what many old car owners do.."I'm gonna fix it up someday" or "I can't sell it, it means too much to me" Time to let these locomotives go to someone who will do something with them.

Oh look, another "They should..." thread on RYPN.

Yawn

Not so much a "they should...." as a "Why won't/can't they?" thread.

Because sometimes--as with NH&I/SMS #9--"THEY" DO.

It's all about the willingness of owners to participate and the cubic dollars involved.

Thanks Mr Mitchell, for saying that much more diplomatically than I was about to.

I can personally attest that the McHugh Company has an awful lot of satisfied customers that not only continue to do business with them, but flat out love them. The biggest problem with having McHugh take on this project is that the shop is already buried in work.

Now, mind you, I take every report of things like boiler conditions, track shape, etc. from bystanders and even operators with skepticism, which is why I didn't recite the many details of the (ALLEGED) "defects" of #1533 in the greater detail related to me in the past, even from someone in a position to know (supposedly--he had one detail apparently wrong).

But I sincerely have to ask:

In what railroad universe, other than either a backwoods, end-of nowhere like the Buffalo Creek & Gauley, Mower Lumber, etc., does someone go cutting out parts from a still-supposedly-functional-ish steam locomotive boiler to use to correct a flaw on a different locomotive--with a cutting torch, no less?!?!?!? Unless the victim of the cutting torch was already deemed a hopeless cause forevermore?

This is not retrofitting a cylinder head or alternator off one Ford pickup truck to another; this is butchery like pulling the pistons and turning them down to size to fit your Chevy Malibu, and then trying to turn the truck's V-8 engine into a flat-4.................